Today
Leinster SHC quarter-final: Westmeath v Galway (3.30pm, Mullingar)
WESTMEATH’S dubious ‘reward’ for topping the Leinster qualifying group is hosting the beaten All-Ireland finalists.
Hurling in the Lake county is on a high after their remarkable under-21 victory over Kilkenny, and wins over Offaly, Kerry and Carlow were a psychological boost for Michael Ryan’s senior team as well.
But while Offaly will face Laois on the other side of the draw, Westmeath – with Liam Varley the only one of that under-21 side due to start today – must prepare for Joe Canning and company.
H: 12/1 D: 33/1 A: 1/50
Verdict: Galway
Leinster SHC quarter-final: Offaly v Laois (3.30pm, Tullamore)
IT was a big day for Laois when they ended a 43-year wait for a Leinster Championship win over Offaly last year, but the Faithful county’s ongoing struggles perhaps lessen its substance.
Eamonn Kelly believes that having had three games in the Qualifying group will hand the advantage to his Offaly side, who had a five-point win when these sides met in the League.
Zane Keenan’s defection from the panel is a huge dent to the Laois attack, and they name five under-21s in their starting line-up.
H: 4/6 D: 9/1 A: 6/4
Verdict: Offaly
Leinster SFC quarter-final: Laois v Dublin (7pm, Nowlan Park)
DUBLIN have become such an overwhelming powerhouse in Leinster that the bookies are giving no better than 1/25 on for them to once more retain the title.
Laois are the first hurdle in front of them, though they’ll hardly have Jim Gavin quaking after narrowly scraping past Wicklow a few weeks back.
and Kevin McManamon ahead of a game for which they are a scarcely believable 1/100 on with the bookies.
Former Footballer of the Year Macauley gets the nod ahead of Denis Bastick, while Davy Byrne and John Small are the two new faces in defence, replacing exiled duo Rory O’Carroll and Jack McCaffrey.
Laois will start without Ross Munnelly and Gareth Dillon from the side which narrowly edged out Wicklow last month. Colm Begley returns and Conor Meredith is introduced at midfield along Brendan Quigley.
H: 16/1 D: 40/1 A: 1/100
Verdict: Dublin
Christy Ring Cup final: Antrim v Meath (5.30pm, Croke Park)
THEY would have hoped to have been adding this to a League title when the season began, so today has become the last part of a salvation mission for Antrim.
Ciaran Clarke has hit over half their scores in the Christy Ring, landing 2-33, while Niall McKenna and James Connolly are expected to start against surprise finalists Meath.
The Royals have made two changes from their semi-final win over Kildare, with Sean Geraghty and Ronan Sherlock starting ahead of Cormac Reilly and Shane Whitty.
H: 1/6 D: 12/1 A: 9/2
Verdict: Antrim
Nicky Rackard Cup final: Mayo v Armagh (3.30pm, Croke Park)
DRAMATICALLY beaten in last year’s final by Roscommon, Armagh are back in the Nicky Rackard decider, but will find Mayo no lesser an opponent.
Victory would complete a dream season for the Orchard, having already won promotion from Division 2B.
The sides met in round 2A and Mayo were convincing 0-22 to 1-11 victors, with the in-form Kenny Feeney leading the line.
H: 10/11 D: 9/1 A: Evs
Verdict: Mayo
Lory Meagher Cup final: Louth v Sligo (1.30pm, Croke Park, live on TG4)
LOUTH will be hoping to justify their favourites’ tag and finally break their Croke Park hoodoo when they take on Sligo in this afternoon’s curtain raiser.
The Wee County would, in the grand scheme, maybe rather not be here at all. Their four final defeats in the past 11 years have all come in the Nicky Rackard Cup.
Beaten in the final in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2012, they would admit themselves to always having been shy of actually winning a Nicky Rackard. Their average losing margin in those four finals was just less than 14 points.
But Sligo have their own ghosts to exorcise as well after losing last year’s entertaining decider to Fermanagh.
Their 3-18 to 3-11 win over Warwickshire in the middle of this campaign and their final day destruction of a deflated Leitrim were the key results in reaching this decider.
But relegated after losing a playoff to Longford last year, Louth have looked the best side in the competition and qualified for the final by topping the group stage with four wins from four.
The first of those was back on April 23 at the expense of today’s opponents, and the side that beat them in that 2008 Nicky Rackard decider.
Louth recovered from an early Kevin Gilmartin goal to control most of the proceedings, and finished strongly when the Yeatsmen did mount a rally that drew them level early in the second half.
Shane Callan, who has played in all four of their unsuccessful finals, says that even eight years later, revenge will be on his mind this afternoon.
“I’m there from ’05 so I played in the first one and hopefully this time around. We played Sligo in 2008 and they gave us a good beating that day so we are looking for some sort of revenge.”
H: 8/13 D: 9/1 A: 6/4
Verdict: Louth
Tomorrow
Ulster SFC quarter-final: Monaghan v Down (2pm, Clones)
EVEN though it was prior to his reign, the 2012 meeting of these sides would be the lesson Malachy O’Rourke will be pointing out to his players this week.
Nine points up in the first half, they threw it away as Down recovered to win by a point. But the Mournemen are struggling badly at present, and have 14 months without a League or Championship victory.
Éamonn Burns has yet to taste victory outside the McKenna Cup and with so many experienced players missing, they’re unlikely to end that run in the lion’s den.
H: 1/4 D: 10/1 A: 4/1
Verdict: Monaghan
Munster SHC semi-final: Clare v Waterford (4pm, Thurles)
THE appetite was whet as they went full-tilt at a League final and ended up having to it all again, with Clare snatching it at the very death in the replay.
You could argue the case that Waterford had been the best side through the League and they would gladly sacrifice their title there to give the Banner more angst in Munster.
Clare haven’t won the provincial title since 1998 and have won just five of their 23 outings since, just one of them in the last eight years. Hard to believe from the current NHL champions.
There will be very, very little to separate them again.
H: 10/11 D: 8/1 A: 6/5
Verdict: Waterford
